Introduction
Last week I had indicated today’s column would continue to discuss potential pitfalls arising from Guyana’s heavy dependence on extractive export industries, and the likely deepening of this dependence in the coming time of oil and gas production and export.

Introduction
Last week’s column provided information for readers seeking a basic appreciation of the role the gold industry (Guyana’s leading mineral sub-sector), plays when assessing the pitfalls posed by its dependence on extractive industries.

Introduction
In order to contextualize the analysis of the opportunities and pitfalls of Guyana’s mineral resources extraction dependence, this week’s column introduces further economic information on the overall performance of the sector.

Introduction
Having completed discussion of the appropriateness of GDP as a measure of Guyana’s economic size, progress, and national/individual well-being/welfare, I turn now to a broader assessment of Guyana’s development at this particular conjuncture.

Introduction
Last week I offered the view that for the foreseeable future, the GDP will continue as the premier measure worldwide, and in Guyana, of economic size and progress, as well as national and individual welfare/well-being.

The two preceding columns have presented, firstly, the case made by analysts who believe that, despite its limitations, the GDP remains the most appropriate indicator of economic size, rate of progress and level of welfare or well-being enjoyed by Guyanese.

Introduction
Let me admit upfront, I agree entirely with Ramesh Gampat’s headline statement as reported in his SN letter of October 26, 2015: `While Guyana’s data is too weak to be subjected to rigorous analysis it allows for broad trends’.

Introduction
Last week’s column wrapped-up the series of nine successive contributions arguing for the adoption by Guyana and Caricom, of the United Nations (UN) Post-2015 Development Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as their long-term planning and policy frameworks.

Fully supportive
This column is the last in a series of nine successive columns devoted to addressing the United Nations (UN) Post-2015 Development Agenda and its related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In today’s column I shall start addressing the very last topic left in this extended series of discussions on the United Nations (UN) Post-2015 Development Agenda Summit and its related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Introduction
In the previous two columns, I have sought to make the case that, the major impediments, which are constraining the long-term socio-economic/environmental development, and structural transformation of the Region (and Guyana), can be effectively addressed within the framework of the United Nations (UN), Post-2015 Development Agenda and its related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, 2015-2030).

Introduction
In last week’s column, I began my response to a question that I have been asked repeatedly in recent times: that is, whether I believe the Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs), which are slated to be adopted at the United Nations Summit later this month as an integral element of its Post-2015 Development Agenda, offer a sound and adequate planning framework for Caricom and Guyana’s long-term development over its projected life, 2015-30?

MDGs: Both necessary and sufficient
Following on my previous columns that have been assessing the Post-2015 Development Agenda and its accompanying sustainable development goals (SDGs) 2015-2030, which is scheduled to be approved at the upcoming United Nations (UN) Summit (September 24-27) later this year, quite a few readers have asked me a rather pertinent question: whether I believe the SDGs,

Introduction
In last week’s column, I sought to provide some insight into elements of the general approach adopted by the intergovernmental Open Working Group (OWG), which the United Nations (UN) had created to produce a Post-2015 Development Agenda that is to be agreed upon at the upcoming UN summit, to be held later in September of this year.

Introduction
From Guyana’s perspective, today’s column continues to focus on an evaluation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2015-2030, their 169 targets and 304 indicators of compliance, which are scheduled to be agreed upon by all 193 member states of the United Nations (UN) at their upcoming summit on September 25-27 this year.

Introduction
Last week’s column briefly reflected on the ongoing transitioning from the present era of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for global development (2010-2015), which expires this year to the upcoming Post-2015 Development Agenda that is presently being forged by the global community.

Introduction
So far in this series of columns I have covered the international discussion taking place on steps to secure the recovery of stolen public assets leading up to the recently concluded Third Conference on Financing for Development (FFD), held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last month.

Introduction
Hypothesis: Paradigm shift
The hypothesis that has been under consideration in my July columns thus far, is that international best practices in the area of financing for development are undergoing a paradigm shift, which is partly reflected in mounting global efforts to incorporate “recovery of stolen public assets” (StPAR) as a central feature of domestic resource mobilization, particularly for developing countries.

A background of crisis
Last week I indicated that the first international conference on financing for development held in Monterrey, Mexico at the end of 2002 was a precursor to the launching by the United Nations of its global development agenda.

Introduction
Today’s column follows-up on 1) my earlier estimation of the value of potentially recoverable stolen public assets and 2) the ticking time-bombs that threaten the survival of sugar and rice.

Introduction
Perhaps a window on public sentiment is reflected in the surprising number of persons that responded to last Sunday’s column, which linked the recovery of stolen public assets initiative to not so discreet intimations of destabilization of the sugar and rice industries.

As part of the series on managing Guyana’s public investment regime, today’s column proposes a mechanism whereby our newly elected government could, at this unique democratic opening, embark on seeking bread (investible resources) and justice for Guyanese whose national wealth has been rapaciously plundered in recent years.

Introduction
I was caught completely off-guard at the depth of the consternation and disbelief expressed by quite a few readers who responded to the estimates that I had provided of the amount of money Guyana loses due to three corrupt practices (public procurement fraud; illicit capital flight; and the underground economy) in last week’s column ($313billion or about US$1.5billion).

Guyana and the Wider World

Introduction
After some introductory material, the lessons dealt with so far in this series on the management of Guyana’s public investment regime have concentrated on: 1) the “basic steps” needed to establish an adequately functioning organization of this regime and 2) the types of failures and weaknesses displayed in public projects during the 2000s.